Fire-door-operating device



F. B. SEARLE.

FIRE D003. OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION min MAY 6, I919.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. B. SEARLE;

FIRE DOOR OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1919. 1 1,336,054. l en ed pr. 6,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

////////4 fizmzixar Smntoz barren snares rarer FfiDEBICK B. SEAME, 9F DENVER. COLORADO.

FIRE-DOGB-OPERATING DEVICE.

panacea,

Application filed. may 6, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK l3. SEARLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Door-Operating Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for operating the fire doors of locomotive boiler furnaces, my object being to provide an operating device which shall be more easily actuated and controlled than those heretofore in use. i F ire doors of this class are usually op erated by compressed air, introduced into a cylinder at one end of a piston, the piston being connected to simultaneously open the fire doors through the medium of suitable gearing. My improvement consists of means for controlling the passage of the air to the cylinder, and its exhaust therefrom. The air moves the piston in one direction for door-opening purposes, while the weight of the doors acting on the piston, reverses the movement of the latter and forces the air out of the cylinder when the controlling valve is in the proper position.

l leretofore, so far as I am aware, it has been necessary for the fireman to hold one foot in the lifted position during each closing operation of the doors in order to be ready to press upon a lever which opens the valve, which allows the air to pass the cylinder for opening the doors. This makes the work of firing a furnace of this character exceedingly irksome, since it is important that the doors be allowed to close after each shovelful of coal introduced into the furnace and during the timethat the fireman is getting another shovelful ready; otherwise the heat of the furnace is considerably reduced and the steam pressure appreciably lowered.

My object is to provide a construction in which a slight tilting of the foot in a sidewise direction may result in actuating a valve to allow the compressed air to enter thecylinder, while a reverse slight tilting action of the foot will allow the valve to re- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr 6, 199%),

Serial No. 295,099.

sume its normal position for exhaust purcylinder.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the valve operating mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrows, and showing the valve in the exhaust position.

Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional view of the same construction, showing the parts on a larger scale.

5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the valve in the open position, or in the position for allowing the compressed air to enter the cylinder.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the construction shown in Fig. 5, the parts being shown on a larger scale.

The same reference characters indicate the parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate each of a pair of tire doors of a'locomotive furnace, the upper portion of each door being toothed or cogged, as shown t3, the cogs of the two doors being in meshing relation. Mounted above the doors is a cylinder, '4', in which is located a piston, 8, connected by means of a link 9, with a lug or ear 10, formed on one of the cogged members 6 of a fire door, this connection being indicated by the numeral 12. Une extremity of the cylinder is in communication, as shown at 13, with a pipe 14, which communicates with a passage 15 in a stationary platform 16. Another pipe 17 is in communication at one extremity with a source of compressed air (not shown), and at its opposite extremity with a passage 18 in the stationary platform or member 16, the two passages 15 and 16 being normally out ofi from communication with each other by a valve 19, which is mounted in a cavity formed in the platform 16 and normally held in what may be termed the closed posistem 22 of the valve, places the pipe 14 in.

communication. with an exhaust passage 23, also formed in the platform 16.

A considerable area of the top portion of the platform 16 is cut away, as shown at 24,

to make room for a plate 25, which is hingedly connected with the platform, as shown at 26, and normally held inthe raised or slightly inclined position by the valve 19 when the latter is in the closed position.

The fireman when operating this device will stand with one foot in such position when the valve is closed that by a slight lateral or turning movement of the foot on the hall the hinge plate 25 may be pressed downwardly to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, whereby the valve is given a corresponding movement or actuated to allow the compressed air in the passage 18 to pass upwardly to the passage 15, and thence to the cylinder, where it will act on the piston to throw the fire doors to the open position, or that shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. A shovelful of coal is then thrown into the furnace and by a reverse turning movement of the foot on the ball thereof, the hinge plate 25 will be acted on by the valve to slightlyraise the plate, the valve moving to the closed position; and this operation is re peated during the introduction of each shovelful of coal into the furnace. The movement of the foot,-however, is so slight that the controlling of the fire doors by m improvement is easily accomplished, as wi 1 be readily understood.

I claim:

1. The combination with a pair of fire doors, a cylinder, a piston therein connected to open the doors when the piston is actuated, and a source of compressed air, of a platform having two communicating passages, one in communication with the source of compressed air and the other in communication with the cylinder, a valve normally in position to cut off communication between said passages, and a hinged plate arranged above the valve and normally held slightly raised by the valve so that as the plate is forced downwardly, the valve is moved to the open position and places the said passages in communication with each other.

2. The combination with a pair of fire doors and means operable by compressed air to operate the same, including a source of compressed air, of a platform having two communicating passages, one incomn'umication with the source of compressed air and the other in communication with said operating means, a valve normally in position to cut off communication between said passages,

and ahinged plate arranged above the valve and normally held slightly raised by the valve so that as the plate is moved on its hinge and forced downwardly, the valve is moved to position to place the said passages in communication with each other to admit air to said operating means.

3. Means for controlling the inlet and exhaust of motive fluid for fire door operating purposes, comprising a platform having communicating passages therein, a plate hinged on said platform, and a valve controlling said passages and mounted in the platform, said valve being normally closed and arranged to support the plate in a position inclined upwardly from its hinged edge, whereby as the plate is pressed downwardly, the valve is moved to open position to permit passage of fluid through said passages. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FREDERICK B. SEARLE. 

